Newsletter November 2022

 

Ithemba's Two Weeks of Kindness Campaign

The Ithemba Foundation – as you know, ithemba means hope – has launched its Two Weeks of Kindness campaign, starting on World Kindness Day on Sunday, 13 November, up to Giving Tuesday on 29 November. Each one of us, young, old, everyone in between, can be an agent of change. We ourselves can make our communities and our country a better place by practising small acts of kindness, by giving of ourselves, whether it is time or assistance. Maybe simply giving someone a smile or a compliment – you might never know how that person needed it at that specific moment. Read more here. And may your small acts of kindness before the busy year-end season inspire you to enter the new year with much more hope than you could dream of!

 

Thank you! (1)

Ithemba Foundation had two teams of two members each who ran Cape Town Marathon's Peace10 to raise awareness of the importance of mental health. They were, on the photo left, conservationist Delana Eksteen and CA Janine Rabe, and on the photo right, Media24 journalists Willemien Brümmer and Nellie Brand-Jonker. Thank you to the four of you and to all your supporters from far and wide, who did not only give our runners moral support, but also donations to the amount of R20 000 to show their support. Thank you for supporting this important cause – and join us next year! (Those wishing to be issued with an Article18A certificate: Please write to ithembafoundation@mweb.co.za, with your name and address, as registered at SARS, as well as the donation amount.)

 

Thank you! (2)

And thank you to all our participants in this year's Hope Hike and Bike in October, or HOPEtober, as we call our Mental Health Awareness Month. Thank you for showing up in your numbers and the spirit of embracing HOPE, despite all the negativity that surrounds us. Thank you also to those who posted their selfies. These are the winners of the R500 Woolworths vouchers: Ruwaida Abrahams, Florence de Vries, Laurika Truter, Debbie Uys, Michelle Vorster van Dorp, Juan van Dorp, Anina Fourie, Monica Groenewald, Carin Walters and Joel Ontong. Enjoy!

 

A break from social media may benefit your mental health

Participants in a recent study who took a break from social media reported an improvement in their wellbeing and a decrease in their levels of depression and anxiety. The study investigated the impact of social media on mental health. A group of 154 people with an average age of 29.6 years was divided into two groups. One group continued their social media use as before, the second was asked to pause their activity on social media for a week. All participants filled in a questionnaire measuring their wellbeing and levels of depression and anxiety at the start of the study, and again at the end of the week. The findings supported that of similar previous studies: Staying away from social media for even a week at a time will improve your mood and decrease your feelings of anxiety. Read more here.

 

All health with All Trails

Have you heard of All Trails? Type in the name in your app store, download the app, type in your location, and you get a number of different trails in your region, with useful information on the trails. Why should you bother? Because: Nature is beneficial to you in three ways: Firstly, it boosts your mood – studies have shown that within the first five minutes of being outside, you experience a better mood. Secondly, it reduces stress – spending twenty minutes in nature, doing an activity like walking, jogging or hiking, helps to reduce stress. Lastly: It promotes better sleep – a quick walk outside helps you to absorb vitamin D, which helps improve sleep. There you have it! It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Still not convinced? Here's a short article on how to engage with nature to reduce anxiety.